Good Times
by Silverblaze72
Summary: The Penderwicks are always having fun, wherever they go, whatever they do. (Disclaimer: I don't own the Penderwicks)
1. Ice Skating

**This takes place when Rosalind is 14, Skye is 13, Jane is 12, and Batty is 6.**

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><p>Skye clutched the railing, but instead, slipped and fell down to the icy floor. Her sister, Rosalind, whizzed by, her gorgeous brown locks flying behind her.<p>

Skye stood up and regained her balance. She held onto the railing and just tried to slowly move forward.

In the center of the ice skating arena, her little sister Batty was laughing as she held onto her skating aid. And even Jane glided around, almost as well as Rosalind.

"Great job, Skye," giggled Jane as she slowed to a stop.

"Stop it, Jane," replied Skye. "I'm just… not as graceful as you and Rosy."

"At _least _get off the railing," insisted Jane. "Come on, take my hand. I'll show you."

"Jane, I-" Skye started, but her sister had grabbed Skye's hands and they skated onward, slowly but steadily.

"I need a railing," said Skye.

"No, you don't," replied Jane. "We're doing just fine."

For a few minutes, they _were _doing just fine as they made their way to the other side of the rink, without railings or skating aids.

"Now, I'm going to let go of your hand," explained Jane. "You don't need to move, just stay still."

"No! I can't!" protested Skye, but Jane had already let go. Skye found herself standing, _on ice._

"I'm doing it!" Skye laughed happily. "I'm standing!"

"Great!" said Jane. "Now, watch me. Glide, and kick! Glide, and kick! Glide, and- oops!"

Jane's foot slipped forward, and Jane stumbled down, onto the ice. Skye couldn't help but laugh.

"It's not _that _funny!" protested Jane.

Skye shook her head. "Oh, Jane, you're _hilarious_." But for one little moment, Skye totally forgot that _she _was on the ice. Her feet lost their balance, and Skye tumbled forward and collapsed on top of Jane.

Now _Jane _was the one to laugh.

"It's not _that _funny!" mocked Skye.

"How many times have you fallen today?" asked Jane.

"Eleven. I blame it on the skates," Skye murmured.

Jane laughed. "We rented them, Skye. They wouldn't rent out bad skates."

"I bet these are the worst that they _did _rent out," Skye retorted. The sisters both stood up again.

"Hey, Skye, maybe you could use a skating aid?" offered Jane.

Skye snorted. "Never."

Jane slowly skated, but just a few feet away. "Skate over to me, Skye. Just glide, and kick."

_Glide, and kick,_ Skye thought. She shook her head. _This is dumb. _But she put her right leg forward and did a small kick with her left leg, which sent her about a foot away.

"Whoa!" Skye exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"Good job, Skye!" cheered Jane. "Now, three, no… _two _feet more! You can do it!"

Skye repeated her kicking method, and went another foot. But suddenly, Skye did a soccer-kick instead of an ice-skating-kick, and she fell backwards.

"Now I guess you've fallen twelve times," giggled Jane.

"Just help me up," Skye growled.

Jane helped up her sister just as Rosalind skated over. "Hey guys, we're going to leave now," she said.

"Rosy, you're amazing at skating!" exclaimed Jane. "Can you jump?"

"Oh, I really don't-"

"Just try!" Skye urged.

Rosalind smiled. "Okay." She glided across the ice and kicked back, throwing herself up into the air. She was so graceful for that moment, but then, she lost her balance when she landed, and fell onto the ice.

"Rosy!" Jane exclaimed, rushing over to her aid. "That was amazing! Are you okay?"

Rosalind quickly stood up. "Yeah, I'm fine," she sighed. "But that was the first time I fell today."

Jane's eyes widened. "First? I fell three times, and Skye fell twelve times already!"

"Jane, be quiet," Skye replied, annoyed.

"Anyways," Rosalind said, "Let's go." She skated off to find Batty.

"Oh, bananas," groaned Skye. "I forgot I'll have to _skate _to the exit."

"It's okay," said Jane. "Just glide, and kick!"

Jane glided away, and Skye was left by herself. Taking a deep breath, she kicked and sent herself two feet further.

_So far so good,_ Skye thought. She kicked once more, and found herself a few feet closer to the entrance.

"Oh, Skye!" Rosalind called. She came over holding Batty's hand. "We're leaving now."

"I know, I know," replied Skye. Rosalind and Batty went away.

_Glide, and kick_, Skye thought. _Glide, and kick._

She was only five feet away from the exit. _Glide, and kick._

But Skye fell down. "That makes thirteen falls," she sighed. She didn't even try to stand back up, so she crawled over to the exit and stood up once she was on solid land again.

Jane was there, shaking her head. "You are _so _ungraceful," she said.

"Just get these skates off of me," Skye replied, sitting down on a bench to untie her skates. She took them off and put on her regular tennis shoes. "That feels so much better," Skye sighed happily.

"Here, I'll go return them," said Jane, taking Skye's skates and running off to the rental counter.

Skye stood up as her father walked over. "Here, Skye," he said, handing her some money. "Buy some hot chocolate for you and your sisters."

"Thanks, daddy," said Skye.

She raced off to find Jane at the rental counter. "Let's go get some hot chocolate!" exclaimed Skye.

The two sisters ran off to buy four cups of hot chocolate. They walked over to Rosalind and Batty, who were watching the skaters through the window.

"I want to skate like you someday," Batty said to Rosalind. Her eyes widened as she saw Jane and Skye walk over. "Hot chocolate!"

Skye and Jane gave their sisters the warm mugs. They all took a sip.

"Mmm," sighed Jane. She looked at her sisters, cold but happy. Jane smiled. This would be the time Skye learned to skate, the time Rosalind jumped on skates, and the time Batty conquered the ice.

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><p><strong>What do you think? More stories coming soon! -Silver<strong>


	2. Marshmallows

Skye was lucky. Today, she was the OAP. It wasn't like at Point Mouette, when it was far away, but she was safe at home, with Batty and Jane, since Rosalind was at Anna's house for a sleepover.

"Would you guys like to have a campfire?" Skye asked.

"Yes!" exclaimed Batty, jumping up and down.

"Of course," Jane said. "I'll go get the firewood."

Jane went outside and walked along the perimeter of her house, but she couldn't find any wood at all. The best she got was a dead branch.

She went inside, still holding the branch, and went up to Skye.

"I knight you, Skye the Brave," Jane spoke, holding up the stick.

"Jane, don't be ridiculous," said Skye. She grabbed the stick. "There's firewood in the garage. Come on, I'll show you."

Jane followed Skye out into the garage, where Batty was looking around. "I can't find any wood," Batty said.

"It's over there," replied Skye, but she looked around and saw nothing.

"Where is it?" asked Jane.

"I guess we don't have firewood," Skye informed. "Well, Plan B then."

"What's our Plan B?" asked Batty.

"S'mores… from the microwave," decided Skye. "Let's go."

The sisters headed back into the house. Jane got the graham crackers, Skye found the chocolate, and Batty specially chose her favorite giant marshmallows.

"Great!" said Skye. For the first time in quite awhile, Skye looked pleased.

"Can I go first?" asked Jane.

"No, neither one of you properly know how to make microwaves s'mores," Skye stated.

"I don't trust Skye as a cook," Batty murmured.

"Making s'mores isn't _cooking_, Batty," Skye replied. "It's simply… throwing three things into a microwave, and then eating it."

"So it's not cooking?" asked Jane.

Skye shook her head. "I would _never _COOK, of all things."

Jane shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, then, show us."

Skye took a paper plate and carefully broke a graham cracker in half. She took a chocolate bar and placed it on top of the graham cracker, and then she took a marshmallow. She mushed it flat, and then set it on top of the chocolate bar.

"Now, we close the microwave," instructed Skye. Jane slammed the door shut as Skye pressed 10 seconds.

The marshmallow was puffing up a bit, so after the 10 seconds, Skye waited while it shrunk back down.

"Is it done?" asked Batty.

"Not yet," replied Skye. She closed the microwave door and pressed the 10 seconds button again. The marshmallow grew to the size of Batty's fist.

Then, Skye opened the microwave and removed the s'more. The marshmallow shrunk down a bit. Then Skye put the other graham cracker on top. She gave the completed s'more to Batty as she made two more. One for herself, and one for Jane.

They all sat down at the table. "Can we eat it?" asked Batty.

"Now you can," replied Skye. The sisters bit into the s'more as the gooey marshmallow stuck to their fingers. Graham cracker crumbs shattered across the table and chocolate was all over their faces.

"Messy!" giggled Batty.

"But delicious," breathed Jane. "More!"

Skye washed herself up and made three more s'mores. Batty and Jane were eventually covered in marshmallows, chocolate, and graham cracker crumbs. Hound raced over and licked Batty's face clean.

"More!" Batty exclaimed.

Skye put in the s'more and pressed the button as she sat down and sighed, waiting for the s'more to be complete. She watched as Jane and Batty raced around the room, giggling, their faces and hands covered in marshmallow and chocolate. Hound yowled as he followed them around the room.

_Wait, are the s'mores done? _Skye thought. She raced over to the microwave to see that the s'more was still cooking and the marshmallow was about the size of a shoe. _Did I press 1 minute instead of 10 seconds?_

_POP! _Skye flinched. She turned off the microwave and opened it up to see that the microwave was COVERED in marshmallow.

"JANE! BATTY!" Skye shrieked. Jane and Batty raced over and threw themselves in a group hug with Skye, giggling and licking their fingers.

Skye pushed them aside. "Great. I just took a shower this morning, and I already need another one."

Batty giggled.

"Well, do you see this microwave?" asked Skye.

"I see it," answered Jane, licking her fingers.

"It's where you make the yummy s'mores!" exclaimed Batty.

"Do you _see _it?" asked Skye.

Jane frowned. "I see a microwave. What's wrong?"

"It's _COVERED _in _MARSHMALLOW_, that's what's wrong," Skye said impatiently.

"Oh," Batty and Jane sighed.

"Now, I want you both to help me clean up," demanded Skye.

"But cleaning up is _boring_," complained Batty.

"I'm going to take a shower," decided Jane, hurrying away.

"Me too!" exclaimed Batty, as she ran off.

Skye was agitated. She wanted to kick something. _Control it,_ she thought. _Control it!_

Skye sat down and closed her eyes. She saw herself playing soccer. She kicked the ball right into the goal. But the second it hit the goal, the ball turned into a marshmallow, which exploded across the field.

"No!" Skye yelled, but opened her eyes to find herself back in reality. She closed her eyes again.

The last thing she heard was _Antonio's Pizza wins the Championship game! _before her eyes opened. She was calm. It was OK.

She went over to the microwave to _calmly _clean it up. She opened the microwave door. To her surprise, it was spotless. Not a single trace of marshmallow could be found.

Behind the kitchen door stood Jane and Batty, trying not to giggle. "Never tell her who cleaned it," whispered Jane. "Deal?"

"Deal," giggled Batty, and the two youngest Penderwick sisters shook on it.

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><p><strong>I would like to thank PUCKABRINALOVER for being my first reviewer! Thank you SOOO much!<strong>

**Please review! I would love to hear what you think about my stories! **

**~Silver**


	3. Halloween

**Halloween**

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><p>"Darn it," Skye groaned.<p>

"What?" asked Jane.

"My Halloween costume! I wanted to be pi, but I can't fit enough digits on this shirt, no matter how small my writing is!"

Jane sighed. "Maybe you should try something different?"

Skye rolled her eyes. "Like what? I don't know! Just saying, I don't trust your 'great ideas'."

"Well," said Jane thoughtfully. "Since I'm going as the Greek goddess Athena, you could be my companion as… hm, definitely not Aphrodite… maybe Artemis!"

Skye laughed. "It's too... unreal. I need a practical costume."

"Why do I even bother?" murmured Jane under her breath.

xXx

"Oh, Rosalind, you look _marvelous_ as Cleopatra!" exclaimed Jane.

"Thank you, Athena," giggled Rosalind.

Then, Batty raced over to them. "I can't find the red slippers!"

"It's okay, Dorothy," Jane said. "I'll help you look. Do you have your Toto?"

Batty smiled. "Yes I do! Hound can't _wait _to go trick-or-treating!"

"Oh, Batty, I don't think that we should take Hound with us," said Rosalind. "He might eat all the candy!"

"He won't," Batty confidently said.

"Still, I think he'd be better _here_," Skye said, walking over. She was wearing a black t-shirt with bright colors sparkled across it.

"What are you?" asked Batty.

"A supernova," replied Skye. "You know. Exploding star. Kaboom."

"Oh, we forgot Ben!" realized Rosalind. "We can't go without him!"

Iantha walked over, holding her little boy. Ben was wearing a little fireman's outfit. "Fireman Ben is ready to trick-or-treat!"

Batty giggled. "He can come with Cleopatra and Toto and me."

"Oh, Batty," said Iantha. "I know Hound wants to come, but I think he'd be better off at home. You would collect more candy without Hound."

Batty sighed. "Okay."

"Well, are you guys ready to go?" asked Iantha.

"I need my red slippers!" Batty exclaimed.

"Oh, they're right here," said Iantha. Batty put on her red slippers. "_Now _is everyone ready to go?"

Jane smiled. "I sure am! I'll go with Skye, and Batty and Ben can go with Rosy."

"Sounds great! Call me if you need anything," said Iantha. Then, all of the girls and Ben left.

Skye and Jane raced off, and in an hour, they had collected enough to fill their whole bags. So, they quickly returned home and got new bags.

"I hate how nobody ever knows what my Halloween costume is," groaned Skye. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Well, not everyone studies astronomy in their free time," Jane pointed out.

"But a supernova is one of the first things you learn about! Seriously," sighed Skye.

They went up to a few other houses, ran across yards, murmured "hi" to kids they knew, and collected candy. The weather was pretty nice, too. _You know, this Halloween isn't so bad_, thought Jane.

Meanwhile, Rosalind, Batty and Ben were going a little slower, but they were still making progress. Fortunately, everyone recognized their costumes, and they often got some complements. As they were crossing the sidewalk to the next house, they heard, "Watch out, Rosy!"

Rosalind glanced just in time to catch the speeding football. She smiled. "So, you're spending Halloween playing football, Tommy?"

"Well, I'm also collecting candy," said Tommy. He reached into Rosalind's trick-or-treating bag and pulled out some candy. "Thank you!"

Batty frowned. "Give it back to Cleopatra!"

"I'm only kidding, Dorothy," Tommy replied. He gave Rosalind back the candy and picked up Batty, spinning her around. Batty giggled.

"Well, we'll see you around," said Rosalind. She took Batty's hand.

"Where's Ben?" asked Batty.

Rosalind glanced around, but then looked down to see a smiling boy looking up at her. "Fireman."

"Yes, Ben," Rosalind said, smiling. "You are the best fireman in the whole world." Then, they walked off to trick-or-treat some more. When everyone returned home, they fell asleep, still in their costumes. Trick-or-treating can be tiring!

Another Penderwick Halloween had come and gone.

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><p><strong>I know that their Halloween is written about in the second book, but I tried to try my own version, since Halloween is coming up so soon! I hope you enjoyed! And thanks to Readwriteedit for being my second reviewer! ~Silver<strong>


	4. Thanksgiving

**Thanksgiving**

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><p>Jeffrey stepped out of the taxi and was immediately covered in hugs.<p>

"Jeffrey!" squealed Jane. "You're finally here!"

Jeffrey hugged her and Skye, then went over to Batty.

"Hello, Battykins! Have you been practicing piano?"

"Every day!" breathed Batty. "I want to play for you!"

"Piano, schmiano," grumbled Skye.

"Skye," Rosalind said calmly. "Why don't you show Jeffrey to his room?"

"Okay!" Skye decided. She grabbed Jeffrey's suitcase and raced inside, with Jeffrey laughing as he followed.

"It took awhile to get mother to let me come," said Jeffrey. "But Alec agreed that it would be good for me to see old friends again."

"Mmmhmm," said Skye, not really paying attention. She walked into the guest room and set down his things while Jeffrey kept talking.

"So," interrupted Skye. "Here's your room for the next few days."

xXx

"Kids, time for dinner!" Iantha called. The girls raced over with Jeffrey. Skye leaped into her seat and reached for some turkey, but her father stopped her.

"First, we must say what we are thankful for," Iantha said. She had them go around and say what they were thankful for.

"I'm thankful for the great family that I can spend Thanksgiving with," smiled Iantha. "And for my great husband, who can cook a lot better than me."

Mr. Penderwick smiled. "I'm thankful that nothing caught on fire while I was cooking."

The girls laughed, and then it was Rosalind's turn.

"I'm thankful for great neighbors and family."

"I'm thankful that we can have food," said Skye.

"I'm thankful for friends, especially Jeffrey," Jane decided.

"I'm thankful for music and animals!" Batty giggled.

"I'm thankful for the great Penderwick family," Jeffrey said.

"What's Ben thankful for?" asked Batty.

Iantha looked at her son and smiled. "Well, Ben?" she said. "What are you thankful for? Can you say thankful?"

"Thankful," Ben laughed. "Thankful!"

"What are you thankful _for_?" Iantha asked.

"Sisters!" Ben decided. "Sisters!"

"Very good, Ben!" Batty said, smiling.

"All right, now let's say grace," said Mr. Penderwick. After they prayed, they sat down and began their Thanksgiving meal.

"This turkey is _amazing_!" Jane exclaimed.

"I agree, it's the best turkey I've ever had!" Jeffrey said.

"I bet Hound would like some!" Batty said. Before anyone could stop her, she grabbed a piece of the turkey and gave it to Hound. He leaped onto her chair, and she just giggled as Hound licked her face.

But then he saw the turkey.

"No, Hound!" Batty protested. But it was too late. Hound chewed off a large part of the turkey. Rosalind was shocked. Skye raced over to try and pull Hound off the table, but he was too strong.

"Jeffrey!" yelled Skye. "A little help?"

Jeffrey raced over and grabbed Hound's hind legs as Skye grabbed his collar. Eventually, they pulled him off the table. Hound licked his muzzle, and then he walked off. Everyone was okay.

But not the turkey.

"What will we do now?" wailed Batty.

"It's all Hound's fault," growled Skye.

"Skye, it'll be all right," said Rosalind. Then, she stood up and left. Jane followed.

"Where are they going?" asked Iantha.

"I'm not sure," sighed Skye. "But _I'm _going to finish the mashed potatoes."

Mr. Penderwick had to throw away the turkey, but other than that, the Penderwicks continued eating the other foods.

After a while, Rosalind and Jane returned, holding a pie.

"Is that what I think it is?" asked Iantha.

Jane nodded. They set down the plate, and immediately, all the Penderwicks went _mmmmmm_.

It was pumpkin pie.

And it wasn't any normal pumpkin pie.

It was made by Rosalind, the best baker in the world.

So the Penderwicks finished their terrible Thanksgiving disaster with a delicious piece of pie. And Skye didn't forget the whipped cream.

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed! Thanks to riderwritergirl, abby, and Readwriteedit for reviewing! It means a lot to me :)<strong>

**~Silver**


	5. Batty's Christmas Concert

**A Week Before Christmas**

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><p>Batty stood offstage, straightened her dress, and waited until the signal. Then, she heard it. "And next, we will have Elizabeth Penderwick on the piano performing <em>White Christmas<em>, composed by Irving Berlin."

Elizabeth. _That's me, _thought Batty. She took a deep breath, then slowly made her way across the stage. She glanced out into the audience and saw her family. Iantha and her father were smiling, while Ben was clapping his hands and laughing. Rosalind waved to Batty, Jane cheered, and Skye was asleep. But Batty smiled. She would dazzle them all.

Batty headed over to the piano. She took in the beauty of it- it was a large, sleek, black grand piano. Smooth and solid. The keys were white and perfect. Batty sat down and placed her fingertips on the keys in the beginning position. And then she began.

It was truly Batty's love for music that moved her to play. She smiled as her delicate fingers danced across the keys. For her sisters, it meant nothing. But for her, it was a dream.

She smiled as her finger hit the last note, then stood up and curtsied to the cheering audience. But Batty didn't do it for the audience. She did it because she truly _loved _music.

She made her way off-stage, and was quickly greeted by her fellow musicians.

"Great job, Batty!" said her friend, Kate.

"Elizabeth, that was _amazing_!" breathed Batty's piano instructor, Miss Lilly. "You really were breathtaking!"

"Thank you, Miss Lilly," Batty replied. She took her seat among the other pianists and watched as the concert came to an end. Miss Lilly went onstage.

"Thank you all for coming tonight," Miss Lilly smiled. "There are refreshments in the lobby."

Batty smiled when she saw Skye jump out of her seat and sprint out, followed by the rest of her family. Slowly, Batty went down the steps and raced over to hug her father.

"Batty, that was simply _exquisita et pulchra_."

"Thanks, daddy," smiled Batty, even though she didn't understand Latin. "Can I go get a cookie?"

"Yes, you deserve it."

Batty ran out the doors to see a crowd waiting to get refreshments. Sighing, she made her way through the crowd and grabbed a single sugar cookie and one chocolate-covered strawberry. She then found her sisters and Ben.

"Congrats, Batty!" Jane said, smiling. "That was awesome!"

"Batty, you were _wonderful_!" Rosalind complimented. "Ben, did you like it?"

"Piano!" said Ben. "Batty!"

Batty smiled. "That's right, Ben, I play the piano. And someday, so will you!"

Skye snorted. "I wouldn't be too sure. And I only came for the food."

Rosalind shot Skye a look.

Skye sighed. "Okay, that music was good. Pretty good."

"Thanks," giggled Batty. She bit into her cookie. _Mmm, delicious._

It was at that moment that Batty knew Christmas was coming soon.

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><p><strong>I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I know this is kind of short, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. I may or may not do an actual Christmas chapter, it just depends. Oh, and I don't own the song <em>White Christmas.<em> Thanks to Abby for reviewing! ~Silver**


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